Gun having a recoiling barrel.



K. VULLER.

GUN HAVING A REGOILING BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 27, 1910.

1,000,216. I Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

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i Q WENT 0, K. VULLER. GUN HAVING A BEOOILING BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 27, 19 10.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAFH CO, WASHINGTON D. C l

K. VULLER.

GUN HAVING A nnoomme BARREL. APPLIOATION IIL ED DBO. 27, 1910. 1 OOQ,216, Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

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MTNESSS 'Q i FR fi w COYLUMBIA PLANOuRAPl-l cm. WASHINGTON. B. c.

KARL VfiIrLER, OF DUSSELDORF, GERMANY.

GUN HAVING A RECOILING BARREL.

S pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed December 27, 1910. Serial No. 599,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL VoLLER, engineer, a subject of the GermanEmperor, residing at 12 Scharnhorststrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Guns Having RecoilingBarrels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it 'appertains to make and use the same.

In order that guns mounted comparatively near the ground or like supportand intended to fire at high elevations, may have the same length ofrecoil of the barrel at all elevations, it has been proposed toconstruct the gun in such a manner that when the barrel is elevated theaxis about which it turns in being elevated is automatically raised.

In one construction of this kind the trunnions of the barrel or of thecradle are journaled in oscillating arms linked to the gun carriagewhich, when the barrel is elevated, are turned relatively to the guncarriage in such a manner that the trunnions are lifted. Thisconstruction lacks stability and necessitates the adding of theoscillating arms which considerably increases the weight of the gun.Moreover, the play which the two pairs of pivots on which the barreloscillates in being elevated (the trunnions and the pivots of theoscillating arms) have in their bearings exercises an unfavorableinfluence on the precision of the shooting.

In another construction the gun has a cranked wheel axle, the crankedportion of which turns in bearings in the gun carriage. This axle isnot, however, connected with the elevating mechanism. For highelevations, therefore, the gun carriage must be raised separately, thatis to say independently of the elevating mechanism, by turning thecranked axle, if the recoiling barrel is not to strike the ground. If insuch constructions, owing to someoversight, the gun carriage is notraised, the gun may be very seriously damaged.

The present invention consists in a combination of these twoconstructions whereby the disadvantages of both are obviated. The gunhas a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion of which is journaled inthe gun carriage and is positively connected with the elevatingmechanism of the gun in such a manner that when the barrel is elevated,the cranked portion of the axle turns so that the actual wheel axlescarried by the crank arms are depressed relatively to the gun carriage.Since the actual wheel axles cannot be depressed as they are supportedby the wheels, the result of the movement is a lifting of the guncarriage and the trunnions journaled therein.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and2 being sectional elevations of one form of construction, showing thegun with its barrel horizontal and at its maximum elevationrespectively. Figs. 3 to 6 show in sectional elevation each a differentconstruction.

The barrel a slides backward in the cradle 5 during the recoil. Thecarrier 0 of the cradle b is suspended by trunnions cl in the guncarriage e and can be brought to the desired elevation by elevatingmechanism. In Figs. 1 and 2 this elevating mechanism consists of atoothed segment f keyed to the trunnions (Z and in gear with a worm h.The shaft 9 of this worm turns in bearings on the gun carriage e and isrotated by the handle 71. The shaft 9 carries another worm is whichengages a toothed segment at mounted on the cranked portion of thecranked wheel axle a co-axially therewith. This cranked portion a of theaxle is mounted to turn freely in the gun carriage 6. When the elevatingmechanism is operated by the handle 2', the cranked portion a of theaxle turns in its bearings and there is relative movement of the actualwheel axles 12 about this cranked portion. The direction of movement issuch that when the muzzle of the barrel a is raised, the axles n aredepressed relatively to the gun carriage 6. Since, however, the axles asupport the gun carriage through the wheels they cannot be absolutelydepressed so that the whole gun carriage and therewith the trunnions arelifted.

Fig. 2 shows the gun in its position of maximum elevation; the straightdot-ted line shows the position of the ground relatively to the barrelwhen the latter is horizontal. The barrel at its highest elevation canrecoil into the position shown in dotted lines, whereas if the trunnionshad not been lifted the barrel would have been prevented by the groundfrom taking up this position.

In Figs. 3 to 6 the letters already used refer to similar parts. Themodifications shown difier from that just described only in themechanism for shifting the axle and the barrel. In each figure theposition of the parts when the barrel is horizontal is shown in fulllines, and the position at maximum elevation is shown in dotted lines.

In Fig. 3, the trunnions (Z and the cranked part n of the axle areprovided with toothed segments 0 and 9 respectively, which engage thepinion g journaled in the gun carriage. The shaft 1* of this pinion isturned by the handle 71 through a worm gear .9 so that the barrel a andthe axle n are together turned in the desired directions.

Fig. 4 differs from Fig. 3 only in that the axle n is itself turnedthrough a worm gear 8' by handle 6; this movement is transmitted throughthe toothed segment p, pinion q and toothed segment 0 to the barrel a.The transmission might equally well be from the as gun barrel a in thereverse sense of that just described.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the pinion g of the preceding forms iseliminated and the toothed segments 0 and p are in direct engagementwith each other. The transmission is in this form from the trunnions clwhich are moved through the worm gear 6 by the handle 2', but as in Fig.4, the transmission may be from the axle n.

Fig. 6 shows the application of the invention to a gun in which thebarrel is pivoted to turn in a horizontal plane, the trunnions beingeliminated and the barrel having its elevating movement around the axle.The cradle b or its carrier 0 has a vertical pivot a. This turns in abearing mounted in the cranked portion n of the axle which, as in thepreceding constructions, turns freely in bearings in the gun carriage.By means of a toothed segment elevating mechanism 4) operated by handle'5, the breech end of the barrel a can be raised or depressed so as tovary the elevation. Through the pivot '14 this turning movement isshared by the axle n and this is therefore raised or depressed owing toits connection with the wheel axles n.

It is preferable that the proportions in the aforesaid constructionsshould be such that when the gun is at mid-elevation, the wheel axles nand the cranked portion n of the axle should lie in the same horizontalplane. \Vhen this is the case the movement which the wheel axles makerelatively to the gun carriage in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the gun is reduced to a minimum. This is ofimportance because the shifting of the axle in the longitudinaldirection of the gun involves variation of the pressure on the trailspade. By such an arrangement therefore there is obtained as constant aspade pressure as possible, which is not the case with guns referred toin the opening paragraphs hereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a recoiling gun, the combination with a pivoted barrel, of acarriage for the barrel, a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion ofwhich is journaled in the carriage, elevating mechanism for the barrel,and a positive connection between the axle and the elevating mechanismfor simultaneously raising the cranked portion of the axle and thecarriage as the barrel is elevated.

2. In a recoiling gun, the combinatlon :With a pivoted barrel, of acarriage for the barrel, a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion ofwhich is journaled in the car riage, elevating mechanism for the barrel,a toothed segment carried by the cranked portion of the wheel axleco-axially therewith, and a shaft for operating the elevating mechanismof the barrel having a worm engaging said toothed segment.

3. In a recoiling gun, the combination with a pivoted barrel, of acarriage for the barrel, a toothed segment fixed to a trunnion of thebarrel, a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion of which is journaledm the carriage, a toothed segment carried by the cranked portion of thewheel axle, and gearing engaging both toothed segments forsimultaneously turning the barrel and the cranked axle about'their axesof rotation.

4. In a recoiling gun, the combination with a pivoted barrel, of acarriage for the barrel, a toothed segment fixed to a trunnion of thebarrel, a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion of which is ournaledin the carriage, a toothed segment carriedby the cranked portion of thewheel axle, and an operating shaft having worms engaging said toothedsegments for simultaneously turning the barrel and the cranked axleabout their axes of rotation.

5. In a recoiling gun, the combination with a pivoted barrel, of acarriage for the barrel, a cranked wheel axle, the cranked portion ofwhich is journaled in the carriage, elevating mechanism for the barrel,

and a positive connection between the axle and the elevating mechanismfor simultaneously raising the cranked portion of the axle and thecarriage as the barrel is ele- 5 vated, the cranked portion of the wheelaxle, when the barrel is at mid-elevation, being in the same horizontalplane as the axis of the wheels.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscrib- 10 Witnesses HENRY HASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

